Elliot: Don't make me go back to Hearts

Published on Saturday 3 January 2009 10:07

CALUM ELLIOT wants Hearts to extend his loan at Livingston with his agent hoping to meet senior Tynecastle officials today to discuss the striker's future.

Elliot declared he has little desire to return to Hearts following a productive loan spell in West Lothian, which has yielded ten goals in 13 games.

Jim McArthur, who represents the striker, was planning to hold talks with Hearts sport director Anatoli Korobochka and manager Csaba Laszlo following today's derby against Hibs. Inverness Caledonian Thistle are also monitoring Elliot's situation but a move to the Highlands is unlikely.

The current loan expires at midnight tonight, so Elliot is contractually obliged to report to Riccarton for training on Monday. The 21-year-old would prefer to stay at Almondvale until the end of the season and admitted to being unsettled by the uncertainty.

"I just want to be playing football and I don't know if that will happen at Hearts," he told the Evening News. "I don't want to go back to playing reserve football again and hopefully the people at Hearts understand that. I'd like to get something sorted at Livingston or elsewhere.

"It's difficult just now because I don't know whether I'll be at one place or another. It's all a bit unsettling. I don't want to go through January not playing football. I need Hearts to make their minds up one way or the other."

McArthur believes a loan extension with First Division Livingston would be in his client's best interests. "My recommendation to Hearts is to leave him where he is. My recommendation to Calum is to stay," he said.

"He's playing football there and it's close to home for him. Even if he went on loan to another SPL club he couldn't play against Hearts, which means he would be out of the team unnecessarily."

• Elliot would return to Hearts with renewed faith but uncertain future